Denver Nuggets / NBA

Exit of Andre Iguodala from Nuggets could lead to roster restructure

Forward Andre Iguodala opted out of an opportunity to make $16 million next season to test free agency. (Andy Cross, Denver Post file)

The moment Brian Shaw was hired as the Nuggets head coach, point guard Ty Lawson's power was restored. He'd been working from a position of little influence, trying to convince teammate Andre Iguodala to extend his contract with the Nuggets while the team had vacancies in both its general manager and head coaching positions.

Shaw's hiring changed all of that.

Lawson's words to Iguodala, who had spent time at the Pepsi Center working out and working on his game since the end of the season, now carried additional weight.

"I think he wants to be back," Lawson said. "He's been working out up here. Normally, if you don't want to go back to somewhere, you won't go back at all. So, he's been working out here. We'll be in his top one or two. I still try and sell him on it. It was a hard sell when we didn't have a GM or a coach, but now we do, so I'm going to be back at it again."

If the Nuggets want to return to at least near the level they ended the regular season, they need Iguodala to sign up for additional years. He holds the Nuggets' free agent fortunes in his hands. A return allows the Nuggets to keep the core of what made them successful, and they can simply build on that. If Iguodala walks, this could turn out to be the most question-riddled free agency period in recent memory.

The 29-year-old forward has opted out of the final year of his contract and is now an unrestricted free agent. The Nuggets — and any other interested team — can begin negotiating with him starting Monday, the first day of the NBA free agency period. Contracts that are agreed upon can be signed starting July 10.

Because he is their free agent, the Nuggets can offer him a five-year contract while other organizations can only offer him four years. Money, however, is only one piece of the puzzle. Iguodala proved that by opting out of a chance to make $16 million next season. He will not make $16 million in any season of his new deal. Franchise stability and upward mobility toward an NBA title rank higher on Iguodala's list.

Without Iguodala, the Nuggets face the prospect of a sizable roster restructuring. They could throw big money at another coveted unrestricted free agent (Atlanta's Josh Smith, Utah's Al Jefferson) or they could opt to hold onto the majority of their funds, make one or two smaller moves and go into next season with significant cap room and a pledge to play younger players, and see what happens.

The result?

1. A competitive team that claws its way into the playoffs and gets to the business of getting out of the first round.

Or, 2. A step back large enough to fall out of the playoff race and into the lottery, which, given the talent in next year's draft, wouldn't be the worst fate.

In the meantime, the Nuggets have decisions to make on other players. As of July 1, they have 10 players under guaranteed contracts totaling over $51 million. That number excludes Iguodala, Corey Brewer, Timofey Mozgov and Julyan Stone, all of whom have various kinds of expired contracts. Quincy Miller, a Nuggets second-round pick last year, has a contract that is not guaranteed for next season.

New team executive vice president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said the Nuggets want to bring back Mozgov after trading away last year's starter, Kosta Koufos, to the Memphis Grizzlies on draft night. They extended a qualifying offer to the 7-footer, and he took it, making him a restricted free agent. It means the Nuggets can match any offer he would receive from another team.

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"We are going to miss Kosta but we kind of wanted to see what's behind this door with Timofey and give him a chance to see if he runs with it," Connelly said.

Stone is a restricted free agent as well. Brewer is unrestricted and not expected back with the team.

There are decisions to be made, decisions that start to become public this week. Decisions that will begin to shape the new Nuggets era.

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